2008 St. Louis Regional

[IndySam]

So far this seems to be the least loved of the first week regionals.

Only 13 teams registered with us (829) being the lowest numbered team.


What teams have plans to make this their second (in this case first) regional?

[Joe Reel]

If slots remain available, Team #292 - PantherTech plans on attending the St. Louis Regional this year.

[Richard Wallace]

We would welcome a second Indiana invasion. It seemed to work out well last year. :)

[AndyB]

It is one of the regionals our team is thinking about for our second. We are also thinking about GLR and Minnesota.

[Taylor]

If it is in the stars for the CyberCards to go out-of-state in 2008, SLR is certainly on our short list.

[IndySam]

If it is in the stars for the CyberCards to go out-of-state in 2008, SLR is certainly on our short list.

Want a ride?

[Alan Anderson]

We would welcome a second Indiana invasion. It seemed to work out well last year. :)

The TechnoKats had a lively debate about where to go this season. St Louis was a popular option, but in the end we put a slightly higher priority on going to a new (for us) regional than on playing with old friends again.

[Kingsmen]

Were debating between st. louis and the GLR but St. Louis is winning

[Lisa Perez]

We'll be registering for St. Louis again, this year.

[Richard Wallace]

I see that 1444, 148, and 839 have all registered for St. Louis, creating the possibility of a title defense by the 2007 winning alliance. Of course, 931 will do all that we graciously can do to keep that from happening. I garbled that thought: the idea started as a rematch of last year's final. However, recalling Alan's earlier post, a rematch won't be happening. Sorry about my confused rambling...

Whatever the outcome, we look forward to seeing old friends again, and to making some new ones. :)

[Mark Pierce]

Only 13 teams registered with us (829) being the lowest numbered team.I got word today that we've remedied that situation: Team 85, Built On Brains, is coming down from Zeeland, MI to play with you guys.

Our neighbors to the east and my original team, the RoboDAWGS from Grandville (288), will also be coming down to represent West Michigan. I believe Holland Christian (107) is also considering making the trip.

I'm looking forward to a fun time, but not the long drive.

[AndyB]

Platteville Team 171 should be attending from Wisconsin. It's looking as if 269 may only do one regional this year due to the fact that the team is so young this year. But if we do do a second, it will be St Louis.

[IndySam]

I got word today that we've remedied that situation: Team 85, Built On Brains, is coming down from Zeeland, MI to play with you guys.

Our neighbors to the east and my original team, the RoboDAWGS from Grandville (288), will also be coming down to represent West Michigan. I believe Holland Christian (107) is also considering making the trip.

I'm looking forward to a fun time, but not the long drive.

Cool Michigan invasion.

[Richard Wallace]

Cool Michigan invasion.Looks like an Alabama invasion, too. 442 and 538 are coming back for the first time since 2003. Two award winning teams from down near Huntsville.

Last time they were here, 442 took the Judges Award and 538 the Regional Chairman's Award -- and both teams have been making noise at other regionals since then.

So we can look forward to strong visiting competitors from both North and South. :)

[Jessica Stidham]

The Minnesota Regional filled up fast, so it looks like you might be seeing 45 at the St.Louis Regional after all. Not a for sure thing yet, but that's what its looking like.

[Richard Wallace]

The Minnesota Regional filled up fast, so it looks like you might be seeing 45 at the St.Louis Regional after all. Not a for sure thing yet, but that's what its looking like.It would be great to have the TechnoKats here again. :) We still need to get Andy Baker (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49438) up in the Arch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_National_Expansion_Memorial).

[Jessica Stidham]

It would be great to have the TechnoKats here again. :) We still need to get Andy Baker (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49438) up in the Arch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_National_Expansion_Memorial).

We tried to get the entire team to go to the arch last year but the adults wouldn't go for it. Maybe you can convince Andy this year. =]

[Richard Wallace]

We tried to get the entire team to go to the arch last year but the adults wouldn't go for it. Maybe you can convince Andy this year. =]A trip to the Arch exposes young and not-so-young technology fans to one of the finest and most inspirational projects of the mid-twentieth century. Soaring art meets cold mathematical precision in the form of an exquisite inverted catenary curve, its every element in strength maximizing compression. It was a bold architectural concept, and an even more audacious engineering effort -- the first tall structure to be built by pouring concrete while pre-stressing the reinforcement bars, its steel inner and stainless-steel outer skins rising in precisely assembled sections, its welds tested to permit no defects. All of this in the early 1960s.

The sight has inspired many visitors, but none more so than students of technology. Like the SR-71, it amazes us today when we recall that its engineers relied on a deep understanding of physical principles and performed the required calculations using slide-rules, all the while confident that the object of their efforts, something never tried before, was nevertheless within their grasp.

[Richard Wallace]

Now visible on the FIRST site: 28 30 teams are confirmed for St. Louis, and 17 16 are pending. The confirmed teams represent eight states.

2 from Alabama
1 from Iowa
1 from Illinois
3 from Indiana (make that 4; see wilmo's post below)
3 from Michigan (make that 4; see Paul Copioli's post below)
16 from Missouri
1 from Nebraska
1 from Texas

Last year's St. Louis field represented eleven states. We've got about a month to go before the registration deadline, so expect the field to get even more geographically diverse. :)

[wilmo]

we're coming

[Paul Copioli]

We just signed up and paid. Hopefully we will be able to use our mill and lathes for the benefit of all :)

[Richard Wallace]

We just signed up and paid. Hopefully we will be able to use our mill and lathes for the benefit of all :)Well, this is shaping up nicely. A rematch of the incredibly exciting 2007 final may be (theoretically) possible. :)

I agree that the awesome power of the Thunderchickens' tools should be made available to all, and I will make a special point of confirming FIRST's 2008 policy well in advance. Week 1 event participants deserve the same benefits as those who participate in later weeks.

[catsylve]

It will be great to see the Thunderchickens again. You made our first FRC competition quite memorable and we learned a lot from you. See you soon!

[Kingsmen]

We're coming, signed up and paid just waiting to be on the team list

[Schnabel]

IT IS OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL FROM THE OFFICIAL GUYS IN THE OFFICIAL OFFICE IN THE OFFICIAL COMPANY OFFICIALLY CALLED DELPHI THAT THE TECHNOKATS ARE GOING TO ST. LOUIS! :D That's right, I just recived the email stating that we are now going to St. Louis to defend our championship!








Officially

[Andy Baker]

IT IS OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL

Well, it's official. Maybe a group of us should invade the arch on Thursday night.

Andy B.

[Schnabel]

Well, it's official. Maybe a group of us should invade the arch on Thursday night.

Andy B.

I'm in!

[Richard Wallace]

IT IS OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL FROM THE OFFICIAL GUYS IN THE OFFICIAL OFFICE IN THE OFFICIAL COMPANY OFFICIALLY CALLED DELPHI THAT THE TECHNOKATS ARE GOING TO ST. LOUIS! :D That's right, I just recived the email stating that we are now going to St. Louis to defend our championship! ... OfficiallyWell, it's official. Maybe a group of us should invade the arch on Thursday night.

Andy B.Well, that's as official as it gets!

Andy, if you will promise to have your robot inspection completed and your pit closed promptly on Thursday, I will escort you and your team to the Arch personally. ;)

So as of this minute evening there are nine states represented in the 2008 St. Louis Regional FRC field, as follows:

2 from Alabama (442, 538)
1 from Iowa (967)
2 from Illinois (1208, 2219)
7 from Indiana (45, 135, 292, 829, 868, 1741, 2197)
1 from Kansas (2410)
5 from Michigan (1, 85, 217, 288, 1502)
18 from Missouri (931, 1094, 1098, 1178, 1182, 1288, 1329, 1444, 1658, 1706, 1804, 1985, 2001, 2014, 2408, 2457, 2507, 2560)
1 from Nebraska (2044)
1 from Texas (148)

and there is a published spot for one more.

38 teams are now confirmed for St. Louis, filling all of the published spots. Of course there may be more openings as the rookie team situation becomes clearer, for St. Louis and for other regionals. Stay tuned ...

[Jessica Stidham]

I'm in!

I'm in too =]

[Kyle Love]

I'm in too =]

I might be in to, considering I could be a TechnoKat again for another weekend....

[Grant Cox]

148, 217, and 45 in the same house again.. I'm looking forward to it :D

[Schnabel]

I might be in to, considering I could be a TechnoKat again for another weekend....

WHAT!?!?!? NO!!! ANYTHING BUT THAT! OH THE AGONY! [/sarcasm] No it will be great to have you back on the team, even for a weekend!

[Jessica Stidham]

148, 217, and 45 in the same house again.. I'm looking forward to it :D

me too. should be fun.

[Rachel2177]

The Robettes (2177) from Minnesota will be going to St. Louis again as our second regional, we are just waiting to get off the pending list

[team 1094]

The channel cats will be their.its so good to see a lot of the same teams as last year going. it going to be great.

man o man i can't wait!!

[GVDrummer]

I believe our team is planning on attending St. Louis Regional, Robodawgs #288.

We went to the chicago one the past two year but my freshman year we went to St. Louis and placed 2nd.

[JulieB]

unfortunately team 538 will no longer be making the trip to st. louis this year. I hope everyone has fun. and good luck

[Kingsmen]

Team 135 will be there again. We went a couple of years ago and the story is we had the police come talk to us, something with a tig welder a trailer and the parking lot.

[woe18]

FRC 1094 the Channel Cats, home of the FishBoy, are fine-tuning plans for the after-competition social on Friday. So far, we have 7 teams participating in the bowling portion, and we have room for a few more interested teams.
Team
1094
2560
1502
1741
217
2177
70/494
Come one, come all for Bowling and Lazar tag. And FEED the FISH!

[ScottieDo555]

Team 2219 is staying at the best western in saintlouis this year! any one else know where there staying?

[Kingsmen]

Team 135 will be at the best western as well

[Kyle Love]

What's the story about a webcast for STL? I haven't been the forums much lately, maybe I over looked it, but I have nothing to do this weekend so will it be webcast-ed?

[ScottM]

1st practice:

Teams

Red 830, 217, 135

Blue 70, 831, 525

217 in hybrid - 3 lines
525 knocked down a ball

Final score Red 42 and Blue 100

831 9 laps
135 8 laps

[Greg Needel]

1st practice:

Teams

Red 830, 217, 135

Blue 70, 831, 525

217 in hybrid - 3 lines
525 knocked down a ball

Final score Red 42 and Blue 100

831 9 laps
135 8 laps

sounds good....keep the info coming

[Dan Richardson]

shouldn't red have only gotten 22 points? how in the world did they get 100?

[ScottM]

those were the highlights - not intended to be a play-by-play

[Dan Richardson]

but still, holy cow how in the world did the alliance score 100 points?

[Richard Wallace]

It was 931, not 831 on that practice round. Scorea were high because practice rounds were going for 285 seconds, more than double the standard match time. Fast robots got in lots of laps, and there were quite a few hurdles, too.

Scores posted on Friday should give a much better indication.

BTW, the St. Louis field has a couple of very fast racerbots -- the well known 148 which our refs have christened "Super Roomba", and the local favorite 1098 which looks and runs like a little Ferrari.

edit: check out some video of 931 in action. A launched trackball can cover some distance, and might just get loose.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AvdFQ_DOIk

[JaneYoung]

- the well known 148 which our refs have christened "Super Roomba"

I wondered if anyone would get around to that.

[GaryVoshol]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AvdFQ_DOIkThat was a nice color-coded alliance.

Round 2 - Oops, 10-point penalty in Hybrid mode

Round 3 - Was that 148 out there? What happened with them?

Also, please see the discussion on Team Update #13 - http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65243
What was said in the ref meeting about when and how this applied? Just to placing the ball on the Overpass, or to all balls? And what about the end of Hybrid?

[JaneYoung]

News news, any news?
How's it going guys?

[GaryVoshol]

News news, any news?
How's it going guys?

Look at the scores and rankings: http://www2.usfirst.org/2008comp/events/MO/rankings.html

Going into the 5th round, there are two undefeated teams 1288 and 1444, with several others immediately behind them with 1 tie.

148 is also undefeated, listed as having played 3 games, but they show up on the match results 4 times - one of them must have been a DQ! [Update - as I was typing, they played again and won - so now credited with 4 wins.]

[Another update - all the teams up at the top of the rankings with a tie have now also suffered a loss, except for 525 who hasn't played their 5th game yet.]

[GaryVoshol]

45, 494 and 1658 are also missing one of their games in the standings table - was there really that many DQ's?

New thought: Surrogates. There are 45 teams; if they are playing an odd number of rounds, 3 of the teams will be surrogates. By this year's rules, the surrogate matches are the 3rd match of the competition.

Still, that leaves one of 45, 148, 494 and 1658 having been DQ'd.

[Ricky Q.]

45, 494 and 1658 are also missing one of their games in the standings table - was there really that many DQ's?

New thought: Surrogates. There are 45 teams; if they are playing an odd number of rounds, 3 of the teams will be surrogates. By this year's rules, the surrogate matches are the 3rd match of the competition.

Still, that leaves one of 45, 148, 494 and 1658 having been DQ'd.

Those teams have all played as surrogates, this year surrogate matches are a team's 3rd match, not the last one like last year.

STL is rocking here, 217 is solid and 148 keeps racking up the laps.

EDIT: 1658 was a DQ for not showing up; 45, 148, 494 were surrogates.

[Ed Coleman]

Can someone tell me if there is video from today and where I can go to see todays results? Also, how are the Indiana teams doing?

[Jherbie53]

Here is the link http://www2.usfirst.org/2008comp/events/MO/rankings.html for the rankings. 148 and 1444 are undefeated.

[frekleface]

That was a nice color-coded alliance.

Round 2 - Oops, 10-point penalty in Hybrid mode

Round 3 - Was that 148 out there? What happened with them?

Also, please see the discussion on Team Update #13 - http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65243
What was said in the ref meeting about when and how this applied? Just to placing the ball on the Overpass, or to all balls? And what about the end of Hybrid?

I don't understand the new ball rule either. During on of our matches. The head ref didn't count one of the balls placed on the overpass and we have no idea why. The robot had dropped it, and it was clearly sitting in place when the buzzer rang. I couldn't tell if the robot was touching the ball or not. Does this matter?


I think the St. Louis regional is going very well!! We hope to see some great competition in the finals!

However, is anyone having trouble with their IR? We were having the biggest problems during our first matches yesterday and today, and we think that it was because of the stadium lights. We placed some sandpaper above our IR sensor and now it works great! We can knock the ball off the overpass during hybrid, which is what we originally planned!

[Mark Pierce]

I'll give quick update from the non-competition side of things.

We've been busy in the pits, but so has almost everyone, it seems. It is a first week regional so that's not entirely unexpected. Everyone seems to be helping each other in true FIRST fashion.

St. Louis is really showing us a great event. As a first timer here, I'm surprised at how much it feels like home. Lots of familiar faces, but even more new people to meet. Several volunteers have stopped by to make sure we're doing OK and the judges seem experienced and friendly.

The competition seems closer than the standings and results show. Our scouting team (an incredible bunch) just spent several hours deciding that it's impossible to agree on a ranking order of the top machines and teams. Putting 217 at the top is easy, from there it gets tough. Some of it's the game, but every team has its strengths and challenges.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll see more matches, but I'm having a great time.

[Schnabel]

Andy did a four ball belly slide, and that's my update! :D

[Alan Anderson]

I don't understand the new ball rule either. During on of our matches. The head ref didn't count one of the balls placed on the overpass and we have no idea why. The robot had dropped it, and it was clearly sitting in place when the buzzer rang. I couldn't tell if the robot was touching the ball or not. Does this matter?

That was one of the matches I managed to see. It was literally a last-second placement of the trackball on the overpass as time ran out. Yes, the robot was touching it. Yes, it matters:
When the MATCH ends, each TRACKBALL that is at least partially supported by the OVERPASS and not in contact with any ROBOT of the same ALLIANCE will earn a 12-point bonus...

[Pat Major]

Those teams have all played as surrogates, this year surrogate matches are a team's 3rd match, not the last one like last year.

STL is rocking here, 217 is solid and 148 keeps racking up the laps.

EDIT: 1658 was a DQ for not showing up; 45, 148, 494 were surrogates.

Surrogates in our third match???? I am unaware of any new rule, or a third match surrogate. Did I miss something? Team 494 has three matches to play on Saturday, not two. I think that is the difference.

Ten years of attending Regionals......this is the first regional I have attended where they were giving out money to all the teams. THANK YOU MASTERCARD :D :D :D

[J Flex 188]

I'm curious as to how the 148 strategy is playing out in this first week regional. How have their pairings been? Have they typically won or carried an alliance on the strength of their lapping or have there been factors with other partners hurdling at the same time? 1st place is truly impressive for a machine like that and speaks to the skill that they must drive with. How have the other teams been dealing with a robot like that (if at all!)?

[Ralph Lambert]

It was actually MasterCard that gave $100 to every team at the regional. MasterCard is a regional sponsor and has been supplying judges for some time but our team and others have been bugging the MasterCard folks here in St Louis to sponsor individual teams. This may be their approach which provides funding to teams without singling out any one team.

[GaryVoshol]

Surrogates in our third match???? I am unaware of any new rule, or a third match surrogate. Did I miss something? Team 494 has three matches to play on Saturday, not two. I think that is the differenceYes indeed. It's in 9.3.2:
All teams will play the same number of qualifying matches except if the number of team
appearances (number of teams multiplied by number of rounds) is not divisible by six; in that case
the scoring system will randomly select some teams to play an extra match. For purposes of
seeding calculations, those teams will be designated as SURROGATES for the extra match. If
teams play a match as a SURROGATE, it will be indicated on the match schedule, and it will
always be their third match.In the Midwest Regional match sheets that someone posted, there was a thin column marked "S" next to each team assignment. I presume those would be marked somehow to indicate the surrogate match.

Best of luck in the rest of the tournament.

[Ricky Q.]

Surrogates in our third match???? I am unaware of any new rule, or a third match surrogate. Did I miss something? Team 494 has three matches to play on Saturday, not two. I think that is the difference.

Ten years of attending Regionals......this is the first regional I have attended where they were giving out money to all the teams. THANK YOU MASTERCARD :D :D :D

Yes indeed. It's in 9.3.2:
In the Midwest Regional match sheets that someone posted, there was a thin column marked "S" next to each team assignment. I presume those would be marked somehow to indicate the surrogate match.

Best of luck in the rest of the tournament.

Indeed, 494's third match was their surrogate match, as indicated by the '1' in the S column of the match list.

[GaryVoshol]

Ouch! Score 90 points and lose the match :(

[Ricky Q.]

STL Alliances

1) 148 217 830
2) 1444 45 1
3) 494 1094 1985
4) 525 2062 2044
5) 2081 85 1208
6) 2457 70 829
7) 1288 1178 1098
8) 1182 1741 292

[Koko Ed]

STL Alliances

1) 148 217 830
2) 1444 45 1
3) 494 1094 1985
4) 525 2062 2044
5) 2081 85 1208
6) 2457 70 829
7) 1288 1178 1098
8) 1182 1741 292

Geez.
Those first two alliances look similar to last year's alliances.

[Cooley744]

lol 1:41 there playing a Hannah Montana song! lol

[GaryVoshol]

Semi 1-1 - a new high total score, 102-92.

194 points in one match!

And then they do even better - 106-98 - in the second semi.

[chrisrobin]

Rematch of last years finals in St. Louis 148 and 217 vs 1444 and 45.
http://team148.blogspot.com to read it from the Robowranglers point of view.

[Mike Ross]

According to the FIRST website:

148, 217 & 830 win it in 2 matches (yeah Thunderchickens!)
F1: 112 - 20
F2: 78 - 70

Congrats to the winning alliance & the finalists

[chrisrobin]

Different result from last year though. My condolences to teams 1444, 45 and 1. You sure put up a good fight in that last match.

[Cory]

Congratulations to 148, 217, and 830 on winning the event.

Did anyone else notice 148's alliance's scores in the elims? : 68, 98, 102, 106, 112, 78. Pretty impressive.

[Guarana]

Yup, and I'm pretty sure the 112 score had a penalty. So there was a chance of having 122. Midwest regional's record was up in the 140's. What was it, the first of the final matches, 112 - 20? Team 45 had a battery come disconnected during autonomous, hurt their alliance bad.

Congrats to the regional champs 148, 217, 830, and the finalists 1, 45, and 1444. What I liked, was that this year's finals match alliances each contained two of the teams that were in it last year. It was 148 and 217 vs 45 and 1444. But, last year 1444 and 45 took the win.

I had fun this weekend.

[Koko Ed]

Could someone please list all of the day 2 awards?

[XaulZan11]

Could someone please list all of the day 2 awards?

Here are all the awards: http://www2.usfirst.org/2008comp/events/MO/awards.html

[Jherbie53]

First off, congrats to the winning teams 148, 217, and 830.

It was our first time at the regional and it was great. The field of teams was great and it was a blast in the stands. It was a little bit of a long drive down, 8-9 hours, but I would totally do it again. We don't compete until West Michigan in three weeks, but I'm am looking forward to watching the next couple of weeks and see how the game evolves.

[Compnerd]

Geez.
Those first two alliances look similar to last year's alliances.

They actually Are. 1444 and 148 were opponents last year, and 1444 won then.. This year 148 won. Also team 1444 did have 45 with us last year.

[IndySam]

First off congratulations to the winning alliance:
148, only one word is needed, AMAZING.
217, I wish my drivers could spend some time with yours, they were great. And thanks for the “Best Name” award, it will be proudly framed and put on our wall.
830, for our pit neighbors; great job guys, you worked your butts off all weekend.

Thanks to our alliance
2457, what a fantastic rookie regional. Thanks for ignoring the standings when you picked us.
70, after the carnage of round one, most of the people in the building thought you were done. Very few teams could have pulled that off.
It may sound strange, but I have never had more fun losing in the finals. It is honestly the first time I left a final on the wrong end of the score with a smile on my face. You guys were a lot of fun to work with. With a little less bad luck we could have made the finals (to be crushed by the #1 alliance). I’ll be happy to play with you guys again anytime.

To all involved in putting on the regional:
What a fantastic job, I don’t think I have ever been to a more smoothly run regional
Referee crew, fantastic job. You made a difficult game to officiate look easy.

[Lisa Perez]

First, a huge thanks to 148 and 217... You guys were AMAZING to work with.

Congratulations to the finalists, 1444, 45, and 1! As a former Juggernaut, I was very ecstatic to see my current and past teams both ending up in the finals :)

Last, but not least, thank you to all of the volunteers and participating teams who made this event a success! I brought a team of 50% rookies, and all of them were absolutely astounded at everything that went on at the event.

[Steve Ketron]

Congrats to 148, 217, and 830. Your winning alliance was an awesome pairing. Both the Midwest and Stl Louis Regionals had some great alliances. There is video of the Midwest but does anyone have some video's that they can postof the St. Louis? You know us Firster's, we like to select our top teams.

[Alex Golec]

I had a great time at the regional - thank you volunteers and coordinators for keeping the traffic flowing through the field!

148 and 217 - the opportunity to work with such great teams was nothing short of amazing. Great drivers, brilliant coaches, resourceful pit crews, awesome fans - everything in perfection!

1444, 45, and 1 - Your robots were amazing and I loved the level of alliance play you displayed on the field. Best of luck on your future competitions

829 and 868 - I was glad to have you as our neighbors, thank you so much for letting us borrow tools and parts when needed.

1098, 494, 85, 2560 and anyone else who lent us batteries in our time of need, thank you! We couldn't have competed without you.

To all the teams - the competition was spectacular, fast-paced, and intense to the end. Way to go!

-Alex Golec

[Hegemoni]

I really don't know how to set the tone of this post, seeing as I am just so excited that my team was able to work with the Thunder Chickens again, and 830 as well.

It was such a great feeling watching this years game I might actually get into Nascar.

Also, thank you to 1444, 45, and 1 for being great opponents in the finals.

[Kevin.Core]

Just want to say congratulations to all teams at St. Louis regional. It was a fantastic experience and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Want to thank teams 525, and 2044 for such a great alliance! Teams 217 (have fun at the Detroit regionals), 148, and 830's excellent performance, what an awesome semi-final! 45 1445 1 again great year, hope to see any and all of you at the nationals!

[Richard Wallace]

On behalf of the St. Louis regional volunteer crew and the planning committee, I want to thank and congratulate all of the teams that participated. Your enthusiasm and persistance made our efforts worthwhile, and you looked great doing it. We would love to see all of you again next year. Special thanks to the four rookie teams: 2408, 2410, 2457, and 2560.

The folks I need to thank will make a very long list, so I'd better get started:

Andy Baker, Mark Koors, and the TechnoKats provided so much gracious help in so many ways that it defies complete accounting. Let's just say 45 is awesome and leave it at that. [note to self: recruit Eric Schnabel in future.]

Robowranglers and Thunderchickens. Robowranglers and Thunderchickens. Robowranglers and Thunderchickens. Robowranglers and Thunderchickens. Robowranglers and Thunderchickens. Robowranglers and Thunderchickens. Robowranglers and Thunderchickens. Robowranglers and Thunderchickens. Robowranglers and Thunderchickens. Robowranglers and Thunderchickens. [how long can they keep this going?]

Juggernauts, BoB, Martians, Black Knights, Robodawgs, Panthertech, Redstone, Swartdogs, Nemesis, Digital Goats, Rat Pack, Tech Hounds, Linn-Mar, Robodevils, Technical Difficulties, and Red Alert: visiting veterans from eleven states make one outstanding competitive field. Special thanks to 1804 from Oak Park (near K.C.) -- my team hopes to visit your regional sometime.

Congratulations also to all of our local area teams: 1094, 1098 [I want to drive your Ferrari!], 1178, 1182, 1208, 1288, 1329, 1444, 1658, 1706, 1985, 2014, 2219 [yes, Carbondale is local], and our newest addition 2408. Let's keep FRC growing in STL -- a Gateway Invitational off-season event is starting to look like a realistic goal.

Special props to our visiting sophomore teams: 2044 from Papillon, Nebraska; 2062 from Waukesha, Wisconsin [three awards and the best looking pit I've ever seen], 2081 from Peoria, Illinois; 2177 from Mendota Heights, Minnesota; and 2197 from New Carlisle, Indiana. The second year can be tough, and your success shows you are on your way to building sustainable programs.

And a special shout out to our star visitors The Circuit Chargers from Tulsa, Oklahoma. 932 earned both the Regional Chairman's Award and the Woodie Flowers Finalist Award. And in three weeks they'll be on home turf in the inaugural edition of the Oklahoma City Regional. Y'all rock!

Finally I want to thank and congratulate my team 931 Perpetual Chaos. You made me proud. I'm looking forward to spending more time with you in the stands at Boilermaker, where someone not named Richard will be the FTA.

[Derek Smith]

Let's see here. This is my first year as a part of an FRC team, and as such my first major competition. To put it simply: it was awesome. Met some awesome people (from 217 and 1208 in particular), had a great time in St. Louis, and got to see some well designed and built robots go head to head. Looking forward to our next regional at Boilermaker.

[Schnabel]

Let's see here. This is my first year as a part of an FRC team, and as such my first major competition. To put it simply: it was awesome. Met some awesome people (from 217 and 1208 in particular), had a great time in St. Louis, and got to see some well designed and built robots go head to head. Looking forward to our next regional at Boilermaker.

This is the same guy who kept trying to say that TechnoKats was a waste of time and that there are better things to do than this! :D This goes to show just how much FIRST can change a person's mind in a matter of seconds!

[Alan Anderson]

Losing to our friends this year was only slightly less enjoyable than beating them last year. :) What they say is true: This is the hardest fun you'll ever have!

What was it, the first of the final matches, 112 - 20? Team 45 had a battery come disconnected during autonomous, hurt their alliance bad.

The connector was fine. It was the battery wire which came loose. With it properly covered by electrical tape, there was no way to tell it was going to be a problem. I understand we'll be replacing those screw-type battery terminals with crimps this week.

[IndySam]

The connector was fine. It was the battery wire which came loose. With it properly covered by electrical tape, there was no way to tell it was going to be a problem. I understand we'll be replacing those screw-type battery terminals with crimps this week.

What you weren't using those fancy AM crimped wires? Surprising!

[Schnabel]

Those connectors were made before AM brought those out.

[IndySam]

Those connectors were made before AM brought those out.

Ah, so you made them before build season?


And I talked to Amy and she said it was your fault that I didn't get my 45 button this weekend. I am officially blaming you for our bad luck this regional :D

[Richard Wallace]

I highly recommend that teams consider using this AM product. The crimps are made using automated tooling, which can be expected to show much higher reliability than crimps made using hand tools. This practice is considered important enough to be made a requirement in many industrial applications.

[IndySam]

I highly recommend that teams consider using this AM product. The crimps are made using automated tooling, which can be expected to show much higher reliability than crimps made using hand tools. This practice is considered important enough to be made a requirement in many industrial applications.

All kidding aside, Richard is right. Those crimped AM connectors are well worth the $15.

[Derek Smith]

Hey Schnabel, how did Andy react when he found out about the wire? I vaguelly recall Bailey telling the story, but I'm iffy on the details.

[Schnabel]

Ah, so you made them before build season?


And I talked to Amy and she said it was your fault that I didn't get my 45 button this weekend. I am officially blaming you for our bad luck this regional :D

No, Andy Mark was still "in the process of buying this tool" (from the website) and we decided to use the connectors we had used the year before.

Hey Schnabel, how did Andy react when he found out about the wire? I vaguelly recall Bailey telling the story, but I'm iffy on the details.

I will just say that he was not happy.

[Syncopation]

And a special shout out to our star visitors The Circuit Chargers from Tulsa, Oklahoma. 932 earned both the Regional Chairman's Award and the Woodie Flowers Finalist Award. And in three weeks they'll be on home turf in the inaugural edition of the Oklahoma City Regional. Y'all rock!

Believe me, the 6-hour ride home was a mix of adrenaline and exhaustion. Personally, I'm just glad we've joined the banner-having-teams club. :D It's just beginning to set in, so it's a bit electric here at school. Chairman's is of course amazing, and it's quite thrilling to be home to a Woodie Flower's award-winning mentor.

Though our robot didn't do well statistically, we did discover we had the third-highest ranking points of any team, and the first two were in the top eight - something of which we can be quite proud.

Thanks for the compliments - OKC and Atlanta are going to be exciting!

[cgredalertcc]

1741 had the exact same thing happen as 45 except that we didn't completely lose the connection. If anyone recalls we had a match where the robot was absolutely crawling. We used crimp connectors, but our electronics guy decided not to crimp them and the solder came loose. **SIGH** Needless to say we weren't happy about that.

Big props to 1182 and 292 it was great to play with you guys and I hope we that we get a chance to play with you again at some point. Congrats to 148, 217, and 830.

I must also point out that the score of the quarter final matches where we (the number 8 seeded alliance) played the number 1 seeded alliance that the first score was a difference of only 6 points, and the second was a difference of 30 due to penalties, which I have some questions about.

I was wondering when the penalties occurred, because from the coaching position the only time the plane of the field was broken was when 217 was stuck in the fence. I would hope the penalty wasn't called on the wrong alliance, and I plan to post the video soon so if anybody sees where the penalties occurred I'd appreciate knowing when it happened. I was also wondering why a penalty wasn't called when 1741 was hurdling and we were hit very hard by a robot of the opposing alliance. I wish I had been aware of this at the end of the match, so that I could have asked the head referee, because I only realized it after watching the match over on Sunday morning.
(I need to qualify the preceding with the fact that I'm proud of my team and my alliance and I don't mean any disrespect. I just would like to understand better what happened.)

Finally I'd like to thank 45. The drivers did an awesome job when we got stuck together and we look forward to seeing you at Purdue.

Thanks for a great regional:confused:

[Paul Copioli]

You can break the plane of the playing field without penalty. It is when you touch the ground outside the playing field that you get disabled.

[Jeff Waegelin]

Congratulations to my former team, 830, for being part of the winning alliance with 148 and 217. I'm so proud of you guys, words can't even begin to describe it...

[Sunshine]

Thank You St. Louis for your gracious hospitality!

Team 2062 extends a warm and appreciative “Thanks” to all of our new friends. It was great to meet, talk, and compete both with and against many of you. Our students are still buzzing with excitement and they are trying hard to explain the “happenings” of the FIRST experience (like that is possible).

A special thanks to team 525 for selecting us in your awesome alliance. We couldn’t have asked for a better group to work with than 525 & 2044.

Congrats to the winning alliance of 217, 830, 148.

The experience was one that we will not forget.

[Gene Williams]

Thanks to our alliance
2457, what a fantastic rookie regional. Thanks for ignoring the standings when you picked us.
70, after the carnage of round one, most of the people in the building thought you were done. Very few teams could have pulled that off.
It may sound strange, but I have never had more fun losing in the finals. It is honestly the first time I left a final on the wrong end of the score with a smile on my face. You guys were a lot of fun to work with. With a little less bad luck we could have made the finals (to be crushed by the #1 alliance). I’ll be happy to play with you guys again anytime.

I had to laugh as our 'bot did hot laps around the field dragging it's ball pickup mechanism/arm around and around, lap after lap, hitting and bouncing merrily along the way! My student coach asked me if they should of stopped, and I replied with a big "heck no, you done good! Good to get those lap points and good in destroying the arm!!!" :D

Some of the mentors asked me whether or not Hendrick Motorsports had called me yet! Apparently the lightening fast repair merited something. Not sure what though?

Here's a picture of it for laughs!

6394

Take care and glad you had fun!

[Mark Pierce]

Apparently the lightning fast repair merited something. Not sure what though?If nothing else you earned a lot of respect from everyone in St. Louis! It was nice to have you guys as neighbors in the pits and in the stands. Both BOB and the RoboDawgs look forward to seeing you and 494 again at West Michigan. I'm kind of disappointed we won't see any others from last weekend there.

Team 85 had a very good time at St. Louis. While we struggled at times on the field, we learned a lot about this year's game and robot. Off the field, the event was run as smoothly as any I've seen. Our thanks to all the volunteers and sponsors.

[IndySam]

Always great to have Bob around, although I didn't get my shop towel until Saturday.

I wish you guys were coming back to Boilermaker.

[Mark Pierce]

Always great to have Bob around, although I didn't get my shop towel until Saturday.Sorry about the Shop Rags, the Drive/pit crew were too busy on Thursday and Friday to pass out many and the other team members seemed to get wrapped up pretty heavily in the stands scouting and watching the action. Once they started passing them out on Saturday, they disappeared quickly! It's best to just stop at the pit and ask. We'll miss BMR (and it's short drive), but at least our neighbors 2015 will be heading south to represent West Michigan.

[s_forbes]

I just saw some footage from St. Louis on the Blue Alliance and I have to say: amazing job by 217! Their hurdling speed was one of the fastest I've seen so far, and they have definitely proved that the best arm robots can hurdle just as fast as the best shooters.

(another interesting note: 1114 and 217 are the two fastest hurdlers I've seen. They are also the simplist robots I've seen. Trend?)

[Hieb]

Team 2014 would also like to thank the MANY teams who offered their help and expertise to help us get up and running. Unfortunately I spent so much time digging through the electronics that I didn't get to see much of the excitement until the elimination rounds.

On a technical note: although by now hopefully everyone knows to tighten and retighten the connections in the distribution block, don't forget to check the bus bars. A partially loosened bus bar kept a steady stream of mentors and students moving through our pit as we tested code, pwm cables, victors, motors and pretty much everything else and kept us out of two matches completely.

[Grant Cox]

I'm a little late on the shoutouts post here, but whatever.

Thank you all for the congratulations and kind words. Leila loves receiving compliments :) I'll start with thanking 148 for picking us, and 830 for completing the (2nd) sweetest alliance ever. We'd been cheering for Tumbleweed the whole time, it's an amazing concept of a bot and it was very well-executed. I will be forever jealous of Parker for getting to use that pistol grip controller to drive such a killer bot, but I'll live :p It was an intense Saturday, but with both of you guys playing defense and doing laps (not to mention the awesome coaching staff of Copioli, V-Neun, and Golec) we pulled it off. 148, we will definitely see you in Atlanta, and 830, how does a repeat performance at Great Lakes sound to you?

This weekend was an absolute blast, not just the competition but just the whole atmosphere. I'd like to make a special shout out to team 1208, the MeTool Brigade (known by some as the LOUDEST team there). On Thursday or Friday, I met a couple of their main cheer-ers (?) and we started talking and hanging out and stuff. They ended up cheering for us just as loud as they cheered for their own team, even after their alliance was eliminated on Saturday. It was really an incredible time, and teams like you make me truly realize the beauty of a FIRST competition. I cherish the "Best Buds" award you gave us and I really hope we get the chance to see each other again in Atlanta or IRI or something :) (not to mention you had one of my personal favorite bots, nicknamed the "Tokyo Style Drift" bot by our team)

I'd also like to make a note to 2062. It's really too bad that our qualifying match didn't work out too well. You guys have an unbelievable hurdler and you will really go places once you've found the right alliance. Same goes to 525, your hybrid mode was unstoppable. We got more and more uneasy as, 3 matches in a row, the computer "randomly" placed your trackball RIGHT in front of you :rolleyes:

To 1444 and 45 - 1 and 1 :)

Finally, I'd especially like to thank the staff and the judges for putting on such a great event. Greg did an awesome job with the play-by-play, and queueing was always nice and organized (with the exception of that one match in the elims, but that's okay). We had some minor issues with reffing calls, but the question box (aptly renamed the "ThunderChicken box" by one of the nearby refs) was very well used and although we didn't always get what we went in there for, it reminded us that yes, the referees are human too. Hopefully those scoring slips will be less prevalent in future regionals.

Oh, and P.S. - that last qualifier match may have been the most epic thing I've ever experienced at a FIRST competition. 217 + 288 + 931 = hundreds of people chanting "green a-lli-ance"

[MegaSparks]

St. Louis was a great learning experience this year for the team and I would like to thank all the teams there that took time out of their busy schedules to talk to us and give us good advice on what we could change on our robot to improve for our next regional in Milwaukee. The students have taken your advice and they now have a very aggressive schedule of changes they want to make to the robot so that we can be more of a competitor to the teams of the caliber of the ThunderChickens. (I know this is all over this post but you have a fantastic robot!)

Thanks for everyone's helpful hints and advice from St. Louis!

[Jessica Stidham]

[QUOTE=GeeForce;712875]I'm a little late on the shoutouts post here, but whatever.

To 1444 and 45 - 1 and 1 :)
QUOTE]


After our win against you in St.Louis last year, we came back to be alliance partners on Galileo. Maybe, if we are on the same field again, we can have one win against each other, and an even bigger one together =]

[ParkerF]

I went to IRI last summer, but St. Louis was officialy my first FIRST event. I had a better time than I thought I ever would.

Gee, as for that deal I made you about letting you drive Tumbleweed, I'm sorry. They wouldn't let us do any extra robot driving [including the Tumbleweed vs. Ferrari race :P]. Maybe some time in Atlanta after competition or at IRI we can sneak some laps in. Driving a tank drive with a PS2 controller looks interesting as well, haha. Again, good luck in Great Lakes to you and 830.

45, amazing robot. I love the arm design on it. I hope to see you guys at Championship.

[Grant Cox]

After our win against you in St.Louis last year, we came back to be alliance partners on Galileo. Maybe, if we are on the same field again, we can have one win against each other, and an even bigger one together =]
I'll take that offer :)

[Schnabel]

I'll take that offer :)

Ditto. Grant, you are Graciously going down!

[Kyle Love]

Ditto. Grant, you are Graciously going down!

I think Schnabel means, Graciously win together. ;)

[Jessica Stidham]

Ditto. Grant, you are Graciously going down!

Wait a minute. If you ditto you are saying that you also accept the offer of us winning together in Atlanta. If he is graciously going down, that would mean that we are too.

[Mike Harrison]

That is way too much logic for me.... How about everyone wins? then everyone's happy.

[Emily2177]

thanks to everyone who made 2177's STL experience so memorable! thanks to all who helped, gave advice and encouragement to us. we love the STL regional because we know the teams who are extremely kind and willing to help! i would like to extend my congratulations to 217, 148, and 830 on their huge win-- it was so fun to watch you compete as an alliance. good luck to everyone else as they compete in various regionals or go to Atlanta in April. 525, looking forward to seeing you again at the MN regional and anyone else who will be there!